Asset Management Awards 2021 – request for pitches

AsianInvestor is pleased to open the nominations period for our annual Asset Management Awards for 2021.

We would like to invite both asset service providers and investment managers to pitch, using an online nomination process. We have a website that includes a full online submission form for our Asset Services Awards (which you can also find at this link), as well as our Asset Management Awards (which you can also find at this link).

We also have a full website and rulebook for the awards, which can be found at this link. 

As before, our asset services awards cover custody, legal and audit services, and we are adding a new category to cover technology and data support. Our asset management awards cover investment performance, including by country and asset focus, as well as our marquee awards for asset managers.

We are pleased to announce that this year's Asset Service Provider and Marquee awards will be selected by a panel of judges who are drawn from asset owners, consultants and industry experts from across Asia Pacific.

The judges will choose the winners from short-lists of the finalists that are prepared by the editorial team. We will announce the identities of these judges in due course. 

In addition, the AsianInvestor editorial team will seek to incorporate qualitative feedback from regional asset owners regarding their primary third-party service providers when deciding on the shortlists.

Organisations pitching for our awards are greatly encouraged to submit testimonials and contact details of institutional clients vouching for the quality of their support. Such third-party evidence will have a 10% weighting in the scoring criteria used by the editorial team and judges. 

All pitches must be made using this digital process. We will not accept separately submitted pitches. The submission deadline for pitches is Friday, 26th March. 

ASSET SERVICE AWARD CATEGORIES

The awards categories are as follows:

1. Best global custodian for asset owners

2. Best global custodian for mutual funds

3. Best bank for cross-border custody

4. Best law firm for asset management, Asia Pacific 

5. Best auditor (funds and tax)

6. Best index provider, global

7. Best data/technology services provider, Asia Pacific - NEW

In addition, our Marquee award: Asset Service Provider of the Year is open to custodians and all other service providers. 

ASSET MANAGEMENT AWARD CATEGORIES

Asset class awards

For our public market awards, we study statistical data provided by independent third parties. Based on that analysis, we shortlist candidates, whom we then invite to pitch. If you don’t hear from us, you have not been shortlisted. For your information, the asset class categories are as follows: 

• Global fixed income, hedged
• Global fixed income, unhedged
• Emerging-market debt
• Japan fixed income
• Asian fixed income, US dollar
• Asian fixed income, local currency
• Chinese domestic fixed income  
• Global equity
• Emerging-market equity
• Japan equity
• Asia ex-Japan equity
• China A-shares
• Real estate investment trusts
• Smart beta 

Fund House of the Year Awards (by country)

We invite submissions from businesses with local licences and locally domiciled investment products (regardless of whether the applicant company is headquartered locally or overseas) to compete to be named their market’s Fund House of the Year. The countries we cover are as follows: 

Australia/New Zealand
China
China (offshore)
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
Korea
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand

We welcome submissions from managers of long-only, public, hedge and private funds. Please include details about your organisation and supporting data and client testimonials (where possible), as well as client contacts for AsianInvestor to request feedback on quality of service provided. Supporting documents from and conversations with clients will be off the record, but the client must be identified.

We will not accept additional information: no glossy pamphlets, charts, bios, photos etc.  

Marquee Awards

Best Business Development

Best Private Equity Manager (Asia Pacific-headquartered)

Best Private Debt Manager (Asia Pacific-headquartered) - NEW

Best Real Estate Manager (Asia Pacific-headquartered)

Best Infrastructure Manager (Asia Pacific-headquartered)

Best Hedge Manager (Asia Pacific-headquartered)

Best Passive Fund Manager (Asia-focused) - NEW

Best Passive Fund Manager (Global)

Best ESG Strategy Adviser

Best Asset Manager for Diversity - NEW 

Best Institutional Product/Strategy

Asia Fund House of the Year (must have physical presence in at least three major Asia markets)

Asset Manager of the Year

Interviews will take place in Hong Kong from late March until mid-April. These can be set up in advance, but we must receive either your asset service award or asset management award online pitch form on time. Interviews are off the record and are intended to put your formal pitch into context and provide further detail and clarification. 

AsianInvestor will announce the winners of the awards in late April, and will offer detailed explanations of the reasons for choosing the winners in our Summer edition of the magazine. 

Thank you for your interest in AsianInvestor's Asset Management Awards for 2021. Good luck!